Page 71 of Wild in Spirit

“If it matters to anyone, I agree. I need to concentrate on helping them find the stalker, and I can’t work on my channel if I’m out in a pasture, and um… distracted. It’s for the best.” Her slight annoyance was barely noticed when she tried to join the conversation, tried to make this easier. But he only heard one thing.

She wanted to leave him. Just like she’d said. They couldn’t last long, but he thought he had more time. He couldn’t even look at her right now, couldn’t address her logic. His mind raced, and he panicked at the thought of her being away from him, even for a couple of days. He knew the Aisling army was good; he saw that last summer during the siege, but he didn’t trust them. There had to be a break in their defenses somewhere if the man got in, but he didn’t dare question Axel again.

“Their army is well-trained, don’t worry about that. She won’t be leaving the sight of any warrior over there. I made sure to inform them of her midnight shenanigans here, and they are well prepared to keep her under control. They’ve also begun a new system of border patrol I helped their Beta create. Her home will be under constant surveillance, and she won’t leave once she’s been escorted inside.” Axel’s eyes bore into him, and he slowly tapped his pen on the table while he studied Nassau.

“I can escort her over.”

“No. You have your own duties, and you’ve sacrificed enough of your…time with Bailey this week. Our border patrol will escort her to NahleCheile, and drivers will switch out from there. She won’t even leave the car until she’s inside her garage at her home. Aisling shifters won’t even know she’s there, and Tuisa will think she left. She will have plenty of escorts.”

“You know, you could put me in a box and ship me over. Or just keep me in the box all weekend. Maybe even store me in the dungeon. Might be less of an ordeal.” Bailey nonchalantly chewed on her toast, but she was clearly annoyed.To anyone else, she seemed like a smartass, someone dismissive of everything people were doing for her. But he knew better. She had made it clear how much her freedom meant to her, and she was upset, trapped, and lashing out.

But Axel ignored her. “If that’s how you want to do it, then we should ship you off this morning. Otherwise, you need to get packed and take your suitcases with you today. You’ll be picked up from the training area by the end of the day.”

“Yes, sir.”

She rose stiffly, without another word, or a glance at him, and went upstairs after softly hugging Nubia and thanking her for breakfast.

It was like a dream, or a horrible nightmare. In the back of his mind, he knew she would leave, would walk away from him, but he thought he had another week at least. If this was how it would feel, he didn’t know if he could do it. He stood to clear his plate robotically, expecting for his Alpha to leave the room. Instead, he appeared at his elbow, his heavy hand on his shoulder, his voice low.

“I’m not telling you this as your Alpha, but as your uncle. Be careful with that one. She’s not like us, Aisling wolves are different, and I don’t want to see you hurt. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

Then he was gone.He took a deep breath, then started wiping counters and helping Aunt Nubia clean up when Zhair slid up next to him, his voice low.

“So, you’re not going to give details? I already texted Keoni and Isaiah, but neither of them answered. And Lana ran up there to help her pack. You gotta give me something. I’ve beendreaming about that she-wolf since I was sixteen. You should see some of her old pics on Insta. I can’t count the number of times I jacked off to her IG reels in a bikini. You’re living the life, man.”

“Zhair Blackwolf, watch your mouth and get your butt in gear. You’re late for training. Now, move.”

“Sorry, Mama.” But he didn’t look sorry, just made an obscene gesture and made his way out. Nassau grabbed a towel and helped his aunt dry the dishes and put them away. With Zhair out of the kitchen, and Nubia humming to herself, the methodical movements calmed him slightly.

“Been working on your uncle. Think we are going to host a mate tour in the spring. I’m betting half the world turns out for the spectacle of Tuisa coming outside of its borders.”

He worked silently, letting her talk out whatever her point was.

“If you can’t find a mate then, I’m sure he will let you go on the tour and look the next season. You’ll find the right one, baby. Then, pretty soon, you’ll have your own pups to look after. Melly will have to find someone else to take care of her babies every day.”

When he still didn’t answer her, she dried her hands and forced him to face her. “As your Luna, I can feel your distress. I know you’re thinking of choosing a mate on your own, that there’s no chance of your fated mate showing up, but that’s going to change. And that girl up there, she’s a free spirit, she’s wild. She wants to see the world. Reminds me of your mama when we were younger.”

He frowned at her. “Mom isn’t anything like Bailey.”

“Not as much anymore, no. But she took off from here before she turned eighteen. Went to college, got an internship, had grand plans. Then she came home for a visit, and there your daddy was. What exactly happened was between them, I don’t know, but they compromised, and here we are. She’s spent herlife making good changes here, bringing the ranch into the new world with technology, keeping our schools up on the latest new techniques.”

“My mom is happy. Never complained.” He shook his head.

“I didn’t say she wasn’t happy. She’s just changed. She used to dream so big. That wasn’t for me. Always knew I wanted to be here in Tuisa. But all she talked about when we were teens was getting out of here, so I never thought she’d stay. Especially not for a man. But fated mates change things. And that girl up there? She’d sneak out right now if she could. She’s not one to settle down. And you’re a lot like your daddy. I know your uncle said something, but I want you to understand there’s someone out there for you. Someone perfect for you and whatever you need in life. Don’t give up on that, baby. It’s worth it.”

He wanted to argue, to disagree with everything she said, but the sinking feeling in his chest told him she was right. He didn’t have time to think because the chatter of voices coming down the stairs interrupted them. Lana and Bailey were giggling and talking a mile a minute. Bailey was telling her about the mate tour, about all the mischief that happened daily. He watched the animation in her face, realizing how passionate she was about it all.

“You can imagine why I made a whole segment based on those Nebraska boys. Every week, they are getting into some kind of trouble. Doesn’t help that there is no end to them. There are so many. I don’t know what’s in the water up north, but they must have nothing to do but make babies.”

“I can’t wait for my dad to let us meet other packs. You gotta introduce me to Blaine. I’ve been crushing on him for months. Every time I see him, he’s laughing. And he’s so hot.”

“Maybe I’ll set up a video call once I’m back on the road. He’d probably try to give you a striptease if he knew.”

They both giggled at that, Lana flushing red. “I wouldn’t mind. Just don’t tell my dad.”

He tried to ignore their conversation, but the love she had for her channel didn’t help everything that was running through his mind. Grabbing her two suitcases, he put his hat on and carried them out to the truck with Bailey trailing behind, her backpack on her shoulder.

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